| Abstract: | Our experience with gated cardiac blood pool imaging in the evaluation of congestive left-sided heart failure was reviewed in 82 patients. Ventricular contraction patterns, right and left ventricular size, and regional wall motion were evaluated from technetium-99m-albumin gated blood pool scans obtained in anterior and left anterior oblique projections. Patterns of ventricular function shown by scan were classified as follows: normal right and left ventricular size and contraction, normal left ventricular size with right ventricular enlargement, left ventricular volume overload, diffuse left ventricular hypokinesis, regional left ventricular asynergy, left ventricular aneurysm and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In 34 of 36 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization, the pattern of left ventricular dysfunction revealed by scan agreed with the findings on left ventriculography. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameters were significantly (p < 0.001) increased in patients with heart failure due to previous myocardial infarction, congestive cardiomyopathy, left ventricular volume overload and left ventricular pressure overload. Right ventricular diameters were increased predominantly among patients with congestive cardiomyopathy and mitral stenosis. Clinically, gated cardiac imaging was useful for (1) diagnostic screening prior to cardiac catheterization; (2) determination of the potential for improvement with surgical operation; and (3) prognostication from the severity of left ventricular dysfunction. |
